I built Odys-say for travelers who want to travel deeper through the human drama behind each place
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I built Odys-say for travelers who want to travel deeper through the human drama behind each place
I built Odys-say for travelers who want to travel deeper through the human drama behind each place
was posted by Elly Jeong
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Featured on Sep 21, 2026 (26 days ago).
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šš» Hi Travel Massive! Iām Elly, the creator of Odys-say.
I built Odys-say because I wanted āļøa tool to help me experience the places I visited more deeply, find inspiration, and discover what they meant to me.āļø
For me, that begins with hearing about the people whose lives are woven into a place.
What they hoped for, the conflicts they faced, and the choices they made. Understanding their lives opens up a way to connect with the place, and to think about my own life through it.
Thatās the experience I wanted to create with Odys-say.
Itās a travel docent (Korean for "guide") for your smartphone, available on iOS and Android.
š Walk near a featured place, and youāll receive a notification. Tap it, put in your earbuds, and listen to its story while youāre right there.
Each place takes you through three things:
1ļøā£ Hear the drama behind the place.
Meet the people whose ambitions, struggles and choices shaped it.
2ļøā£ Learn the ideas inside the story.
Understand the beliefs, history and ways of thinking behind what happened.
3ļøā£ Keep an insight thatās only yours.
The story ends with a reflection connected to whatās on your mind, whether thatās career and direction, relationships or your sense of self.
My hope is that these encounters with other peopleās lives help you find something meaningful in the places you visit, something you can carry into your own life.
šš» You can try your first story free: odyssay.app/store
Iād love to hear how this feels when you try it, especially whether the reflection helps you connect with the place in a more personal way.
I think this is an amazing idea and I really wish you well with it. I love traveling and the stories behind the places is always something that is of interest to me and no doubt most people who travel. I am from Ireland and starting my own business as a private Irish tour guide and host. I love the fact that you have taken the time to understand the stories of each place.. I really love the idea and I will look at the app. Is it available in every country as I am actually traveling to Spain tomorrow. Really well done and I will you every success, very well thought out. Lisa
Thank you so much, Lisa! This really means a lot, especially coming from a fellow storyteller and tour guide. Weāre not available everywhere yet, and Spain isnāt covered just yet, but weāre working on expanding to more cities very soon. Wishing you the very best with your own tours in Ireland too!
This looks so cool and such a creative idea! Itās also something I wonder about as I visit a new placeāwhat itās like for the locals who live there, not just the tourist perspective.
Thank you, Avery! That curiosity is a big part of why I built it. I wanted to go beyond the usual tourist-facing facts and bring in the people and human stories that shaped each place.
Not to speak for the locals, of course, but to help travelers see a place as somewhere people actually lived, struggled, created, and made choices, not just somewhere to visit.
This is a really interesting approach to travel storytelling. Connecting a place with the human stories, history and culture behind it can completely change how travelers experience a destination. Would love to see how this develops!
Thank you, Ihsan! Thatās exactly what Iām hoping to do, help people experience a place differently once they know the human stories behind it. Really appreciate the encouragement!
Great idea to add this additional layer to someones travel experience! Am traveling with my kids to India soon so will try it our there :-)
Thank you, Nynke! š We have several destinations in India, so Iād absolutely love for you to try it while youāre there. Hope it adds something special to the trip with your kids!
Such a great idea. I'm sure it will connect well with travelers because it aligns with what moves and inspires them!
Just curious, how did you build it and find these stories?
Also, how many regions it currently serves?
Wishing you great luck!
Thank you so much!
I research each place from multiple sources, looking especially for the people, choices, conflicts, and stories behind it, then shape those into something you can listen to while actually standing there.
The history and culture come in through those human stories rather than as a list of facts.
Right now, Odys-say covers 11 cities across Europe and Asia, including several in India, and Jaipur is actually coming soon too! Iām gradually expanding from here.
And thank you for the kind words, especially coming from someone creating stories around Jaipur too!
Good to know, Elly. Interesting.
Since I have been part of developing audio route, I think your app functions slightly different - it nudges on proximity. Let me know if I read that right.
Good to see people like you adding more value and offering something new.
Yes, you read that right! š Odys-say works a little differently from a fixed audio route. It uses proximity to nudge you when youāre near a place, and then you can tap to hear its story.
I wanted it to fit naturally into however someone chooses to explore, rather than asking them to follow a set route. Really appreciate your kind words, especially with your experience building audio routes yourself!